Keir Starmer to unveil radical NHS changes to cut waiting times
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/03/keir-starmer-to-unveil-radical-nhs-changes-to-cut-waiting-times
Posted by suspended-sentence
Keir Starmer to unveil radical NHS changes to cut waiting times
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/03/keir-starmer-to-unveil-radical-nhs-changes-to-cut-waiting-times
Posted by suspended-sentence
18 Comments
Wonder who he will be trying to sell the NHS off too?
I’m not sure how this is supposed to cut waiting times, when the waiting times at the moment are down to their not being enough staff over the various parts of the NHS.
Also GP’s referring directly to scans and providers without going through a subject matter expert on that issue just screams of waste, as Doris demands x, y and z checks, and the overworked (and underpaid) GP eventually just writes the referral for them to get Doris out of the surgery.
Will dinghy people stop getting private health care then?
Not to burst the bubble but once you have a scan it requires a doctor or consultant (who are already in short supply and overworked) to examine the results to make a clinical decision as to next steps and / or treatment.
Sure it might fast-track some stuff releasing pressure on frontline services but it’s just shifting the pressure to another area where there is zero capacity to handle it.
Unless they are going to increase capacity, budgets, and staffing in hospital clinics to cope with the demand for such a boost in service usage and follow up all it’s doing is rearranging deckchairs on the titanic.
I’ve said this for ages, the way diagnostics are handled by the NHS is absolutely abysmal, totally archaic approach in general and needless barriers and delays throughout the process.
However while this is an improvement, I’m not sure it will fix the problem really. We do need to massively improve the number and speed of tests performed, but underlying this is that the clinical science side of the NHS has been even more neglected than the rest of the system, is also totally broken due to staffing levels and poor infrastructure, and also cannot offer the kinds of wages needed to attract/retain people to a high demand high workload job.
It’s not even that many problems that will be getting streamlined scans. It won’t have much impact on wait times or the workforce.
Ok I’m a radiographer. Where I am some of these are already referred from a GP directly to us (post menopausal bleeding is an urgent referral to ultrasound and gynaecology and tends to be done within the week). However, most scans such as those requiring high dose of radiation go through a consultant because the amount of people getting high doses of radiation or having to have their scans rejected because the GP doesn’t follower the referral protocol is insane where I am. Also scans are vetted before they are booked so anything that doesn’t fit the criteria will be rejected anyway.
This is really going to depend on a few things as to whether it works. Also, we do not have enough radiographers and equipment to do all this. They started using community diagnostic centres but they tend to be miles away from the area so are massively difficult to get to for the elderly for example. We also end up rescanning a lot of people because the consultants can’t access the reports or they don’t trust the quality of the scan and want us to do it instead.
The whole thing is a sticking plaster over a giant chasm.
Could he cut income tax rates on private medical?
It’s ridiculous it’s seen as such a prestigious benefit that it’s taxed at your highest tax rate
The state of this article.
“Reset his premiership”…
“Torrid six months”…
Childish from the guardian. Supportive of proposed changes.
So what was in this list that A GP could not already do? Other than very little.
Also no plans to fix what is really needed. MORE GP’s. Not half assed PA et al actual GP’s that are given the time and resources to actually do the job.
More empty promises.
People need to stop accepting mediocrity and half hearted empty political promises.
Want to fix the NHS sort social care and stop people dumping granny and grandad at this time of year using the NHS as some sort of elderly day care.
Another reset! Thank goodness. It’s been a few weeks.
Is it adequate funding? I hope it’s adequate funding.
Tories: more immigrant doctors and nurses!
Labour: we set targets and we aren’t hitting them, we literally tried nothing and we’re already out of options!
I’m trying to get a cyst removed from my armpit and keep getting fobbed off to A&E. After 11 hours of waiting today, I finally got a bed, only to be told the procedure will roll into tomorrow, but I still can’t eat or drink.
I’m having to look for private options immediately.
What’s even sadder is seeing the staff crying and wiping away tears, only to smile and move on to the next patient at a triage setup in the corner of a very busy A&E
They’re clearly overworked, badly managed, and stretched to their limits. The NHS is so overwhelmed right now, and it’s heartbreaking to see the toll it’s taking on both patients and staff
In Spain you can walk into the hospital in the morning, get an MRI that afternoon and be back to discuss the results the next day.
I don’t know why everything is so incredibly slow over here.
They need to use technology. I went to the A&E with a broken jaw and I had to sit and wait 11 hours for an X-ray. The entire time listening to every name called out whilst in dire agony.
Triage should’ve given me a text when I was #5 in the line and allowed me to leave.
Direct referall only shifts the problem and the other areas mentioned are not radical. This stuff was happening 20-25 years ago (yes I was involved) – what is needed is a radical reform of social care provision, pay reform, reintroduction of tax breaks for private healthcare, and increase the efficiency of processes and systems (there’s always wasteful practices)
It’s good that they’re looking at thee problem and taking time to fix it. They have a lot more to do but these are small but a good start.
From those NHS bosses we need a we can fix it attitude.